The College of Graduate Studies at Bridgewater State University is dedicated to helping make pursuing a graduate degree accessible and affordable through various assistantships, grants and scholarships.
By collaborating with BSU's Financial Aid Office, students are able to identify various loan opportunities that can help to offset the costs associated with graduate education and receive individual counseling and support to move closer towards their personal and professional goals.
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Prospective graduate students are encouraged to begin the financial aid application process as soon as they begin to think about attending graduate school. Applying for financial aid early ensures that applicants in programs that are eligible have resources available to them at the start of their program. For more detailed information regarding financial aid and how BSU can help, please contact our Office of Financial Aid at 508.531.1341 or finaid@smxjjl.com.
Financial Aid Resources
Free Application for Federal Student AID (FAFSA) www.fafsa.ed.gov
Federal School Code for Bridgewater State University is 002183
Information about the TEACH Grant
American Association of University Women: One of the world’s largest sources of funding for graduate women, AAUW provides Career Development Grants for women pursuing a certificate or degree to advance their careers, change careers, or re-enter the workforce and whose bachelor’s degree was received at least five years before the award period; Fellowships for women who are international students; and Selected Professions Fellowships, which supports women in business.
Fastweb: Includes a large financial aid database that matches graduate student’s strengths and interests to possible funding options
Federal Student Aid for Graduate or Professional Students: Includes options for and guidance on financing graduate education
Sallie Mae (Graduate Loans): This website provides information about applying for a loan to pay for a master’s degree for eligible domestic and international graduate students.
Note: This is not an endorsement of any of these options. Students should be aware and cautious of any scholarship foundation or company that requires an application fee, investment, processing fee, etc. Please review the Federal Trade Commission’s recommendations on how to avoid scholarship and financial aid scams.
The following programs are eligible for Financial Aid:
Postbaccalaureate Initial Licensure Education Professional Associations & Organizations*
Master of Education (MEd) Education Professional Associations & Organizations*
Music
The College of Graduate Studies offers a variety of scholarships to matriculated students across all disciplines. To learn more about opportunities available to graduate students, please contact Ally McVickar in Graduate Student Services.
The School of Social Work also offers Awards and Scholarships for students pursing a Master of Social Work. Additional information about those funding opportunities can be seen here: Awards & Scholarships - Social Work
Additional Scholarship Resources
Sallie Mae (Scholarship Search Engine): This website requires you to create a profile in order to use their Graduate School Scholarship Search engine and get free access to 850,000 graduate scholarships, worth up to $1 billion. Your profile will include your field of study, skills, and interests. You can then set up alerts to notify you when new graduate scholarships matching your profile become available.
Note: This is not an endorsement of any of these options. Students should be aware and cautious of any scholarship foundation or company that requires an application fee, investment, processing fee, etc. Please review the Federal Trade Commission’s recommendations on how to avoid scholarship and financial aid scams.
James Madison Memorial Fellowship Program
The James Madison Memorial Fellowship is a federal program that offers secondary level teachers (both pre-service and in-service) of history and government up to $24,000 to complete a master’s degree in history, political science, or related fields.
To be eligible, you must be, or plan to become, a teacher of American history, American government, or any other social studies class, teaching topics on the Constitution at the secondary school level (grades 7-12). In addition, you must be a U.S. citizen and either possess a bachelor’s degree, or plan to receive a bachelor’s degree no later than Aug. 31 of the year in which you are applying.
In addition to receiving financial assistance for a master’s degree program, Fellows will have the unique opportunity to attend an intensive summer institute to strengthen their knowledge of the origins and development of American constitutional government.
Visit jamesmadison.gov to learn more.
Voya Unsung Heroes
The Voya Unsung Heroes Awards Program annually provides grants to K-12 educators who are utilizing new teaching methods and techniques for classroom/school projects to improve learning. Educators are welcome to submit grant applications describing projects they have initiated or would like to pursue. Each project is judged on its innovative method, creativity, and ability to positively influence students. Each year, one hundred educators are selected to receive $2,000 each to help fund their innovative class projects. Three recipients are then selected to receive additional top awards of $5,000, $10,000, and $25,000.
Applicants must be employed by an accredited K-12 public or private school located in the United States and must be full-time educators, teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, or classified staff with projects that improve student learning. Find out more and apply for the Voya Unsung Heroes program.
Graduate assistantships and fellowships are available on a competitive basis to full and part-time matriculated graduate students who are enrolled in a graduate degree program (M.Ed. or CAGS programs consisting of 30 credits or more) at Bridgewater State University. These opportunities enable students to attend graduate school at significantly reduced tuition and fee rates while receiving a bi-weekly stipend for working in an academic or administrative department at the university.
Appointments are competitive and are determined by the following: undergraduate and/or graduate grade point averages, pertinent experience and skills, educational preparation, and interviews. They are intended to encourage and assist students in pursuing graduate study and completing degree requirements expeditiously.
Graduate Assistantships
Full Graduate Assistantships: Students work in an academic or administrative department 20 hours per week and earn an income during the fall and spring semesters. Students will receive tuition and fee remission for up to 24 credits per academic year, plus a complimentary parking pass. Award valued over $17,500 available to well-qualified matriculated students taking at least nine credits.
½ Graduate Assistantships: Students work in an academic or administrative department 10 hours per week and earn an income during the fall and spring semesters. Students will receive tuition and fee remission for up to 12 credits per academic year, plus a complimentary parking pass. Award valued over $10,000 available to well-qualified matriculated students taking at least six credits.
For more information about Graduate Assistantships, please email graduatestudies@smxjjl.com.
Research Assistantships
Graduate Research Assistantships allow part and full-time matriculated students the opportunity to collaborate with a professor on meaningful research up to ten hours a week and earn an income during the fall and spring semesters. With tuition and fee remission for up to 15 credits per academic year, the value of this award is over $10,000.
For more information about Graduate Research Assistantships, please email graduatestudies@smxjjl.com for more information.
For current openings, please visit the BSU Jobs site and click on the Student tab.
The Graduate Writing Fellowship program at BSU is coordinated by interim director, Dr. Brian Payne. For more information about this program, please feel free to contact him at b2payne@smxjjl.com.
Writing Fellowships
Graduate Writing Fellowships link part- and full-time matriculated graduate students with peers from their graduate program to provide support in discipline-specific writing. Earning a weekly income combined with tuition and fee remission for up to 15 credits, Graduate Writing Fellows receive an award valued at over $10,000.
A graduate writing fellow (GWF) is a graduate student trained to work with peers across all academic disciplines. GWFs mostly conference with students one-on-one, and largely help with the “big picture” parts of students’ writing, as opposed to line-by-line edits: getting started on writing assignments; understanding assignments; finding resources; using other peoples’ writing in their own work; organizing papers so that they are easy to read; adhering to citation styles, and the like. Support is offered through a variety of methods, including face-to-face meetings and online communication. Having a GWF in a graduate program highlights the importance of reader feedback, drafting, and revision, which are key processes to successful disciplinary and professional writing.
How Do Graduate Writing Fellows Work With Graduate Programs?
At Bridgewater State University, GWFs work for 10 hours a week in a variety of different models, which are selected by each graduate program:
- Referral-based: In this model, the GWF services are primarily available to students who are referred to the program by faculty who feel that the student could benefit from writing support. Students can also self-refer to the GWF program.
- Classroom-based: In this model, all students in a particular course, such as a gateway course to the graduate program or a research course, are required to attend meetings with the GWF.
- Programmatic: In this model, students from more than one course across a program participate in the writing fellows program, meeting with a GWF at different points in their program and academic career (i.e. in their first and second year).
What Graduate Programs at BSU Are Involved in the Graduate Writing Fellows Program?
Graduate Writing Fellows are available to assist all graduate students, regardless of academic discipline. Below is a list of participating graduate programs with their respective faculty mentors:
| Program | Faculty Mentor | Contact Email |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical Psychology | Dr. John Calicchia | jcalicchia@smxjjl.com |
| Counselor Education | Dr. Nikki Freeburg | mfreeburg@smxjjl.com |
| Criminal Justice | Dr. Feodor Gostjev | fgostjev@smxjjl.com |
| Public Administration | Dr. Melinda Tarsi | mtarsi@smxjjl.com |
| Social Work | Dr. Pamela Szczygiel | pszczygiel@smxjjl.com |
| Special Education | Dr. Ashley Rodrigues | arodrigues@smxjjl.com |
| TESOL | Dr. Emily Spitzman | espitzman@smxjjl.com |
| History | Dr. Brian Payne | b2payne@smxjjl.com |
Conference Funding Award
The College of Graduate Studies provides matriculated students the opportunity to offset the costs associated with presenting their research at professional academic conferences. These presentations provide graduate students the opportunity to showcase their research as well as to interact with scholars and fellow graduate students in their specialized field. These presentations can also help to compliment a graduate student’s application to doctoral programs. For more information about the Conference Funding Award, please email Ronaldo Fontes in the Office of the Dean.
Graduate Research or Creative Project Funding Grant
The Graduate Research or Creative Project Funding Grant is for students (individual or group) who are working on a research project or creative project and want to request funding to assist with completing this project. Examples of research projects include surveys, experiments, case studies, observations, and research papers. Examples of creative projects include art, music, poems, digital artwork, and video projects.
This funding is to be used for materials needed to conduct the research or creative project such as art supplies, lab supplies, printing costs, or mileage to and from interviews.
This opportunity was made possible through funding from the David V. Jenkins Graduate Research Prize Endowed Fund agreement and the Bridgewater State University Foundation (BSUF). For more information about the Graduate Research or Creative Project Funding Grant, please email Ronaldo Fontes in the Office of the Dean.
